mimeo - music in movement electronic orchestra
perdition plastics cd per 009
richard barrett computer sampler tracks 3, 4, 5
justin bennett analogue synthesizer tracks 3, 4, 5
phil durrant violin electronics tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
christian fennesz sampler all tracks
cor fuhler piano electronics tracks 1, 2
yannis kyriakides violin electronics tracks 1, 2
thomas lehn analogue synthesizer all tracks
jerome noetinger electronics tapes track 6
gert-jan prins electronics radio tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
peter rehberg computer tracks 1, 2, 6
keith rowe guitar electronics tracks 1, 2, 6
tracks:
nickelsdorf 5
nickelsdorf 3
den haag -2.2
den haag -1
den haag 1
wuppertal 1.2
tracks 1 and 2 recorded on 20 july 1997 at jazzgalerie nickelsdorf austria
tracks 3, 4, 5 recorded on 24 october 1997 at korzo theatre den haag netherlands
track 6 recorded on 15 november 1997 at immanuelskirche wuppertal germany
photography (front cover reproduced above) by dan burke
this is a cdrecording of a cdr originally released on grob
What the hell is MIMEO ?
Q: Could you offer a few "official" words on Mimeo and history?
A: The idea of an "official" view for Mimeo is almost contradictory, in the sense that the performers have such
varied backgrounds, as for history, I guess Mimeo reflects the doubt laden transition from the world
of scarcity (analogue spectrum) to the one of plenty (digital). Within the orchestra this transition is represented
by the group primitive and the powerbook quartet, a kind of "post techno Duchampianism", a music worked
around choise and juxtaposition. Mimeo takes two features of C20 music into the C21, improvisation and
electronics. It consults/ runs/operates through a kind of internet e-mail democracy. The question however
remains: "Will the powerbook quartet be able to contain the low tech onslaugh of the primitives and avoid
the out-flanking manoeuvres by the dysfunctional garbage collectors, or will the romantics hold the day
with their instruments rooted in history".
reviews:
Collected European festival recordings made between July and November 1997 by this all-starelec(tron)ic
improvising ensemble led by AMM's resident 'flat guitarist' Keith Rowe. Also featured: Mego's
Christian Fennesz (sampler) and Peter 'Pita' Rehberg (computer), Gert-Jan Prins (electronics, radio),
Phil Durrant (violin, electronics), Jerome Noetinger (electronics, tapes), Richard Barnett (computer, sampler),
Justin Bennett (analogue synthesizer), Cor Fuhler (piano, electronics), Yannis Kyrakides (violin, electronics),
and Thomas Lehn (analogue synthesizers). Oh, and the CD itself was mastered by Marcus Schmickler
(Pluramon) and is adorned with lovely images by Dan Burke (Illusion of Safety). The low/narrow dynamic
(undoubtedly set in place by Rowe at the onset) lasts about nine minutes; after that it's a free-for-all of curious
noises (of questionable root), etudes of dragging/scraping rubbish, single-digit harmonic tones (often lurking
in sub-audible frequency/density ranges),all sorts of software-derived tricks & trinkets, and on occasion, filtered
white/pink noises. A fine crossover, should fold one or two of the 'human breath' holdouts into the robot-curated
musical underworld (ala 'hell' panel, low center; Bosch, "Garden of Earthly Delights"). Soooo Glitchy." -Hrvatski
"but the pedigree is less important than the execution: if the idea of a free improv computer music is old, with
quite a few striving to realise it of late, it's surely never been achieved with such deranged, addictive verve
Echoes, to be sure, of the rustle and screech of AMMMusic 1966 and Henry Cow Concerts , of the thud and
blare of Kontakte and Throbbing Gristles Second Annual Report , of the process dance of Alvin Lucier and
George Lewis, but with an unbelated fearlessness and a cross-border learning and care which are very rarely
found in one place at one time. This is a remarkable and an important record, not least because magnificent
tracks like ''Nickelsdorf 3'' take us so smartly back to the drawing board when it comes to drawing up aesthetic
battlelines: modernist versus postmodern, avant garde verses experimental, composed verses improvised;
these promo jargen shortcuts continue to cut the cheese at moments determined only by long superseded
fashion waves. the Wire